A Country Falls (Greatest Thief 3) - Chapter 45: Chapter 45

When Acen shook me awake, I almost ordered him away. Not for myself. I could get up and handle whatever needed handling. But for Finn. He was pressed so snugly against me that it almost felt like a crime to try to leave him. At least I knew he would sleep through my movement. For someone who was always on alert, he was a deep sleeper.
But I tried not to disturb him too much as I slipped my arm out from under his waist and sat up. "What?"
"Jalor's asking for you," Acen whispered. "I would tell him to wait, but it's about the man that attacked you."
"I thought he wanted to handle it on his own," I said, and I understood the desire. He wouldn't be able to lean on me once he was named Lord East Draulin.
Acen nodded. He didn't even have to say anything, the look he was giving me was more than enough. Jalor wouldn't have called for me if he really didn't have to. It would feel to him like he was giving up, even if we all told him otherwise.
"It isn't an easy job," I said, vaguely, knowing Acen would understand. "I'll be out in a moment."
He nodded again and stepped away, letting the curtain fall back into place. I ran a hand over my face, as if doing so would make me feel more awake. Then Finn shifted, and I looked down at him.
Bittersweet circumstance had given Jalor the opportunity to choose Mayah over his oath to me. And while I was happy for them both, I knew firsthand how hard it would be for Jalor to step into power by her side. There were days I still didn't feel equipped to be Lord West Draulin, and I'd at least been born in the ruling family. Jalor was a country lord and a knight. He wasn't really supposed to marry into a ruling family. It was going to be a challenge, but at least he had his noble upbringing to help him get through it.
Finn didn't have that. Which was only one of the reasons I could never ask him to step into power beside me.
Gently, I brushed his hair out of his eyes and leaned down to kiss his forehead. He tried to wiggle closer, but when he didn't find me where he expected me, he opened his eyes.
"What's happening?"
"Jalor needs to see me." I lay my hand on his chest when he tried to sit up. "No, go back to sleep. I just didn't want you to wake up alone, that's all."
He was already settling back into the blankets, but he tried to protest. "I can come."
"No." I gave him a real kiss, then pushed aside the curtain and climbed out of bed. Duty called.
We found Jalor standing outside of one of the prison cells, his right thumb hooked into his belt. His cloak was neatly in place over his left shoulder. The pose didn't look quite natural, and it was easy to imagine that he would be crossing his arms, if he could.
I was prepared for the memories that flashed through my mind. Jalor bleeding out on the ground. Hacking through what was left of his elbow. Tying Mayah's ribbon around his upper arm so tightly that it cut into my fingers as I pulled on the knot. My right hand started to tremble, but I caught it with my left and pretended to crack my knuckles to disguise the action.
I was prepared because it happened every time I saw Jalor. Just a moment of horrifying thoughts, like my mind had to make sense of his missing arm all over again. Then it passed and I could behave normally again.
Without looking at him, I knew Acen had seen my hand. I knew he would be cataloguing it away. A potential weakness. Like Ender's left side or Finn's bad wrist.
"So," I said firmly. Now that the moment had passed, we could get to business. "Have you been at this all night?"
Jalor shrugged his right shoulder, frustration clear on his face. "I did take a break. I wanted to do this myself, but... you'll understand." He unhooked his thumb and pushed through the door. Acen and I followed.
My attacker was in the centre of the room, his hands bound around the back of his chair. His ankles were tied to the chair legs, and a neat bandage was wrapped around his right knee. Interrogation tools hung untouched on the walls around us, and I was glad. Torture wasn't something I wanted to resort to. It was hard to look at the tools and not think about Finn having to endure them.
"Say your piece," Jalor said.
The attacker raised his head. It was the first time I had really gotten a good look at him, and I was surprised to see that he wasn't Deoran. His skin was a redder brown than Finn's, and his dark hair was done up in braids that were tied together in a bunch behind his neck. His eyes were so dark it was hard to distinguish his pupils. He was Morcean.
He spoke with a pleasant accent that made his words sound friendly. "You can buy my contract, Lord West Draulin."
Immediately he sounded like Kassia, and I barely stifled a groan. "An Associate. Of course."
"That's all he's said." Jalor leaned against the wall beside the door. "All night. Just 'Lord West Draulin can buy my contract.' I was hoping for more before I called for you."
That explained Jalor's frustration. I rested my hand on my sword pommel. The man's eyes followed my hand, then snapped back up to my face when I spoke. "All right. If I'm going to buy your contract, I need a bit more information. Your name would be a good start."
"Jindev."
"Morcean?" I asked, just so he would confirm it. By all accounts Morcea and Deorun got along, but there was no reason for Morcea to throw themselves into a fight that had already ended.
He attempted a shrug. "Once upon a time."
It actually was a helpful answer, whether he meant it to be or not. "I suppose joining the Associates means cutting ties with your home country."
Jindev was silent.
Jalor's frustration was becoming more justified by the minute. "Why are you offering me your contract?"
No reply. He just blinked.
"Do you want me to buy it?"
Another awkward shrug.
I turned to Jalor. "Did you try anything else?"
"Harsher methods are... distasteful, to say the least," Jalor replied. "And I didn't think they would help, anyhow."
No, they wouldn't. I thought back to Kassia, and how Finn had coaxed her into talking. There was some sort of relationship there, a mutual respect for each other that I couldn't quite bring myself to understand. But he had got her talking. Maybe the key was simply asking the right questions. I tried to imagine what Finn might ask.
"Jindev." His gaze flickered back to me. "If someone buys your contract, you obey them until your contract expires?"
"I'm expensive," was his non-answer. But it was a confirmation, in its own way.
"Are you?" I asked. "Then you must be good at your job."
Nothing.
"How expensive?"
"Depends on the length of the contract."
He was clearly toying with me, but at least he was talking. Finn would know how to play along. I just went with the simple route. "Let's say, one day."
Jindev almost smiled. "Ten thousand siyas, for one day."
It was an absurd amount of money, but I could afford it. I just didn't want to agree so easily. Finn would have...
My thoughts caught on Finn for a moment. He could throw knives. Evrik could throw axes. Any well-prepared assassin would have known that, and taken them into account before trying to kill me. Surely Jindev had had plenty of opportunities to get me. Why pick that moment?
A new tactic came to me. A very Finn-like tactic. "That's a lot of money for someone whose assassination attempt was throwing himself at a lord who was walking with three very capable men. That was sloppy. You must have not known anything about me, or my men."
Jindev narrowed his eyes.
"Unless." I paused, allowing the word to sit for a moment. Jindev's pride was bruised, but he needed a bit more prodding. "Unless you did know that Finn can throw knives, and Evrik can throw axes. And, you knew one of them would hit you before you could reach me. And you knew that they would aim to incapacitate, not kill."
Jindev's gaze darted between Acen and Jalor before landing on me again.
"That would make some sense," I said, as if I was attempting to sooth his wounded ego. "It's a much more impressive plan if you were trying to be captured, don't you agree?"
"I was told to expect this kind of conversation from Finagale."
There was only one person who would have told him that. "Did she also tell you to throw yourself at my mercy?"
Once again, he didn't quite answer me. "You can buy my contract."
"Ten thousand siyas for a day," I said, nodding. "That's expensive for someone who wanted to be caught."
"I don't set my prices."
This time, I didn't say anything. I just looked at him, giving him the opportunity to change his answer. He steadily stared back. I was pretty certain that he would cave. Associates were known never to break in interrogations, but Jindev had wanted to be caught. For whatever reason, he wanted me to buy his contract. But when he didn't say anything, I realized that he needed a push.
"That's a shame." I shrugged and turned around. "Acen, I'd like to get a few more hours of sleep." He moved to follow me as I reached for the door handle.
"Wait," Jindev spoke up just as I pushed the door open. "All right. Ten thousand siyas buys a month."
I let the door close and turned back to the room, crossing my arms. "That's more reasonable. Consider it done, then. Ten thousand siyas for a month-long contract. Now, tell us who sent you to kill me."
Jindev smiled. "Pleased to be of service, Lord West Draulin." False positivity suited his charming accent. "I would appreciate being untied. We can discuss this somewhere more—"
"Here," I said. "We can discuss it here."
Jindev's positivity wavered, and when he spoke again it wasn't so forced. "Your guess was right. I was sent to kill you, but I was waylaid by a more interesting suggestion from someone I trust. So I came here, pretending to do the job I was paid for. It isn't impossible for Associates to make mistakes. It happens. I simply made a mistake of my own. One that wouldn't result in my death."
"Who sent you?"
"Prince Kalvahi. While your army was camped outside of Deorun."
That bit of news was a surprise. "Why didn't you come after me then?"
"Because the other man Kalvahi sent after you was run through," Jindev tilted his head towards Jalor. "By him. I wanted to be more careful about it. Then Kassiandra made her suggestion. Well... she told me that if I waited, you would win the war. That Kalvahi would probably be killed, dissolving my contract. When that didn't quite happen, she made another suggestion. Come here, let myself be caught, and hope you would be willing to buy my contract."
"Why?" It wasn't pleasant, realizing that I was playing right into whatever new game Kassia was planning. "Wouldn't it be easier to just kill me?"
Jindev eyed Acen and Jalor before answering. "Yes. Probably. But this is where things get more complicated. Breaking my own contract is forbidden and punishable by death. But completing a contract for a coward who ran off and disappeared is... very embarrassing. This way, we both live, and I get out of my obligations."
We knew so little about how the Associate organization worked, but his explanation sounded plausible. "You're being very forthcoming. Has breaking an Associate's silence always been as easy as buying their contract?"
This time, Jindev's smile was real. "No. I didn't have to accept. It's just that in this, very specific case, I wanted to. I'm yours for a month, Lord West Draulin. If you want to lock me up and question me the entire time, that's your right. But I'm sure there are more useful things I could be doing for you."
There really wasn't. I didn't need a hired assassin hanging around, unchecked. "That would involve trusting you to actually obey me."
"Trust that I'm a professional," Jindev said, exactly as Kassia once had. "And that a man worthy of respect, such as yourself, is the type of man I enjoy working for."
"That's a lot to ask. I've seen the way Associates treat their employers," I said.
He nodded slowly. "That's a wise remark, Lord West Draulin. Maybe there's something else that can sway you, then. Lady Kassiandra told me to say..." he faltered briefly. He had probably hoped to avoid this. "That she sent me to you as a gift. Proof of goodwill."
Of course she had. She was using me. To break his contract with Kalvahi, and maybe even to protect him from something. I was doing exactly what she wanted. But I wasn't ready to puzzle out exactly why she wanted this. It was the middle of the night, after all. "Usually people aren't expected to pay for a gift."
Jindev tried to shrug again. "She told me to offer you a very generous rate."
"And did you?"
He grumbled something in Morcean, then, "Ten thousand siyas... three months."
That was a generous rate. I didn't even bother to keep the surprise from my voice. "That's less than I pay my guards."
"Like I said, Lord West Draulin, I don't set my prices."
Was his price another part of Kassia's game? I turned my back to him, gesturing for Acen and Jalor to step up. It wasn't going to be a private conversation, but I didn't really care if Jindev heard us. "Gentlemen?"
"You don't need an assassin," Acen said. "She must know that. She's using you to protect him, the same way she used us to get King Valkiros out of Deorun."
"I agree," I said.
Jalor nodded, and added, "He did say that if you want to lock him up for a month, it's your right. That might be the best option. He won't be able to interfere with anything, and you'll have him contained. If he's so important to her, it might be a good idea to keep him locked up."
"Keep him locked up," Acen agreed. "I'm not letting him near you if he isn't in chains."
"No." I flashed him a smile. "I'm hard enough to guard without an assassin within arm's reach."
Jalor glanced over my shoulder towards Jindev. "You can always reassess later, but I expect he'll be on his best behaviour in an attempt to earn some trust."
Jindev interrupted. "Point of clarification. You're going to pay me to sit in prison for three months?"
We ignored him. "Mayah might not like having an assassin sitting in her prison," I said. "We could send him to West Draulin."
Acen shook his head. "Proximity is probably a good idea. If he is going to honour the contract, it's with you, so you might need to be around to keep him in line."
"You can call me Dev," Jindev tried again. "'An assassin', 'he'—that's going to get tedious."
"Until," Acen continued, "Tandrin arrives. Then maybe—"
I caught on. "Tandrin might want his contract."
Once again, Jindev tried to cut in. "You can't just give me to King Zianna."
This time, I did acknowledge him by turning around. "Why not?"
He seemed caught off guard. "Oh, I... That's not... So, I don't have to accept every job. The king can buy the three months we've agreed on from you, yes. After that, I don't have to accept an extension."
"Fine." I nodded. "And if you're locked up for the duration of those months, what's to stop Tandrin from just keeping you in prison indefinitely?"
He sighed. "Ah. I see."
"So, that's the plan," I said. "He can be set up in a nicer cell, and then sometime after the wedding I'll talk to Tandrin about taking him. Now, I really do want to get a couple more hours of sleep. Jalor?"
Jalor nodded. "I'll arrange his... accommodations."
"Thank you," I said. "Jindev, don't be any trouble."
"Yes, sir," Jindev replied resignedly.
Acen followed me into the hallway. A thoughtful silence fell between us until about halfway back to my room. Acen broke it, somewhat cautiously. "You won't like this, but it might be worth putting Finn in the same room as him."
I'd been thinking the same thing. "In case Kassia gave him some sort of message for Finn? I agree, unfortunately. I don't like how much she..." I hesitated. "How much she likes him."
"It's kept him alive on quite a few occasions," Acen said.
"I know. She admires him," I said. "Makes me wonder who he could have been."
Acen laughed quietly. "I think we've all wondered that."
Outside of my door, I turned to him. "Finn can talk to him after the wedding. There's too much to worry about until then, I'd rather not think about Jindev until some of that is settled. You... um, you did look into those things for me, right?"
There was only one thing I could be referring to. Acen nodded. "I've ordered them. You picked a very long vow. The engraver charged extra."
"Pay him whatever he wants," I said. "If I can throw money at an assassin, I can spend some on a long vow. Thank you, Acen. You've always been so much more than a guard."
Acen smiled in the dark hallway. "You've always been a very likable lord to work for," he teased affectionately. "Good night."
"Good night." The door creaked as I pushed it open. I changed quickly and quietly, shedding my tunic and pants, and placing my sword on the desk. Then a pushed the curtain aside and climbed into the bed. Finn barely stirred as I settled down beside him.
I gently draped an arm over his waist, and quickly succumbed to sleep.